Leather-splitting machine.



lV. J. C. WALTER d2 J. MAIER.

3 SHEETS-SHEET I.

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mmm Apr. 3o, 1918.

M. J. C. WALTER (11. MAIER. LEATHER SPLITTING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILEDNov. I4, I9I7.

Patented Apr. 30, 1918. 1

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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IVI. J. C. WALTER L J. MAIER.

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MELeHior. J. c. WALTER, or LYNN, MASSACHUSETTS,

' NEW JEESEY.

ErnE.

nnnrosEE MATER, oE NEWARK,

resinas.

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it knownthat we, MELGHIOR J. C. WALTER, a citizen of the UnitedStates, and resident of Lynn, county of Essex, and StateofMassachusetts, and J osEE MAIER, a subject of the Emperor of Germany,and resident of Newark, .county of Essex, and State of New Jersey, haveinvented` certain new and useful Improvements in Leather-SplittingMachines, of which the following'is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in leather splitting machines ofthe belt-knife type andhas for itsobjects the provision of simple meansfor `quickly and accurately adjusting the gage and pressure rolls relaftively to -eaeh other `and relatively to the path of thev knife, and toprovide simple means for adjusting the feed table unison with` the gageroller to adapt the rolls to feed leather of different thicknesses tothe `knife `and to adapt the machineto split leather into sheets ofvarious thicknesses.

In Athe drawings, Figure l is a vertical longitudinal sectionalview onthe line l-l of Fig.2;` y

,Fig 2 a ,plan view of the machine;

Fig. 3 an end elevation showing the righti hand end of the machine;

Fig. 4c anend elevation of the left-hand end of the machine;

FT g. 5 a vertical sectional view on the line V-V of Fig. 1; c i

gFig.y 6 a horizontal sectional view on the line iff-VI4 of Fig. 1;

- F'g.V 7 a planview showingone ,ofV the supporting saddles for thelower feed andy gageroller;

tionof the parts shown in Fig. 7;'

Fig. 9 a vertical sectional .view on `the line lX-X of Fig. 10; and vFig. 8 apvertical central transverse sec- Fig. 10 a fragmentary verticaltransverse` sectional View; showing lparts of the-supe porting landguiding meansk for the lower feed and gage roller. n y Y Referringto thevarious parts by numerals, lthe machine is provided with a suitable bed1, supportedon standards or upright framemembers 2, and side framemembers oruprights 3 land 4; extending upwardly from the bed 1k andheldtheretobysuitable bolts, or in any yother desired manner.` AV

Application filed November 14, 1917. Serial No. 202,027.

verticallyadjustable feed table 5 supported between the side members 3and 4 of the frame at the forward side of the mai M chine, andabelt-knife guide or cutter-bar 6 is supported, between said side membersat the rear of the machine. A pair yof beltknife driving pulleys ordrums 7 and 8 are Xed on shafts 9 and 10 journaled in suitable bearingsat opposite ends of themachine, and a belt-knife 11 passes over` saidpulleys or drums and passes through the usual guide slot 12 in thecutter-bar or knifeguide 6. The shaft 9 is driven from the main drivingshaftl through bevel gears ltand,v 15,. and the main driving shaft 13 isdriven `from any suitable source of power, not shown@` The partsheretofore described are ofwell-knownconstruction.` c

p To adapt the machine to split sheets or strips-of various thicknessesfrom a hide or sheet of leather, we provide an adjustable gage and feedroller 16 supported below and adjacent to the forward or cutting edge ofthe belt-knife 11 on a shaft 17. ,The shaft 17 is journaled at its endsin substantially rectangular bearing blocks.`l8 adapted to slidevertically` in openings or guide-ways 19 formed inthe side members Sand4; ofthe Vmain frame of the machine. The bear# ing blocks 18 areconnectedby posts 20l"with the ends of anadjusting bar 21, extendinglongitudinally of the machine. and guided at,

its ends in openings or ways 22 formed in the side members 3 and l oftheframe below the guide-ways 19. `The posts 20 are` formed withreducedportions at each end thereof, fitting in sockets 76and Z'fformedmovement awayfrom eachother by yokes 28y embracing the blocks 18 andheld to bar`21 by suitable bolts 2,11." Postsy 20 extend through and areslidably guided vin aperf tures 7 5 in the portions of the side frame4members 8 and t extending 'betweenthe p i.

guide-ways 19 and 22,. ,y

The'bar 21 `is adapted `to be afiljustedLA vertically `by means of apair ofposts or threadedrods25y heldsto the bar 21 at their upper endspi n s26 extending, through thef Y roller 16 toward and from the path ofthe belt-knife 11, by means of a thumb-wheel 32 fixed on the upper endof a shaftf33 journaled in bearings 34 and *35 held to the f side framemember 3. A bevel pinion 36 is Y able means.

fixed on the lower end of shaft 33 and meshes with a bevel gear 37 fixedon shaft 29.

It will be obvious that the bearing-blocks 18 supporting` gage roller 16may be simultaneously adjusted through the connections just described.It is sometimes desirable to adjust one of the blocks 18 withoutshifting the other block, and it will be obvious that by loosening oneof the set screws 31 and removing the key 30 held thereby, theoperativeconnection between shaft 29 and eitherv threaded post 25 willbe broken, thus permitting the adjustment of one end of bar 21 androller 16 by thumb wheel `32 without'shifting the other end of the bar21 and roller 16. TheV hub 27L of each worm wheel 27 j has a bearing atits upper end in an aperture in a plate 71,Y and a bearing at its lowerend in the enlarged upper portion of an aperture 72 in the bed 1 throughwhich the lower end of post 25 extends.V The plates 71 are held to thebed 1 by screws 73 threaded in bosses 74 formed on the upper surface ofthe bed. The plates 71 serve to prevent movement of the worm wheels 27longitudinally of the threaded posts 25 and also serve, in conjunctionwith the bearings in the upper ends of apertures 72, to maintain theworm wheels 27 in mesh with worms 28 on shaft 29.

The feed table 5 is supported on the upper ends of three substantiallytriangular brackets 7 8,`being held thereto by suitable screws or otherfastening devices 79, and said brackets 78 are held atl their lower endsto the adjusting bar 21 by screws 80 or other suitj It will thus beAseen that the table 5 and roll 16 are adjustable vertically relativelyto the path of the belt-knife in unison.

To adapt the machine to operate on hides or sheets of leather of variousthieknesses,we provide an adjustable feed or pressure roller38'supported above the path of the belt-knife 11 and coperating4 withthefeedand gage vroller 1 6 to feed the leather to the beltknife. Theroller 38 is mounted on a shaft 39 journaled at its ends in bearings 40formedY at the rear ends of a pair of arms 41 pivotally heldintermediate their ends v tothe sidemembers 3 and 4 of the frame bypivot screws or bolts 42 and 43. The bearings 40 extend outwardlythrough openings or cut-away portions in the side members 3 and 4 of theframe.

Shaft 39 is adapted to be rotated by pinions 44, 45 and 46, through asuitable gear train driven from the main driving shaft 13, and the shaft17 is adapted to be driven in the opposite direction from the same geartrain, through pinions 47 and 48. The gear train may comprise a pinion49 fixed on shaft 13 and meshing with a pinion 50, a pinion 51 fixed onthe same shaft as pinion 50 and meshing with a pinion 52, and a pinionfixed on the same shaft as pinion 52 and meshing with pinion and alsomeshing with pinion 47. The arrangement of the pinions 45 and 47 withrespect to the pinions 46 and 48, respectively, is such that the shafts17 and 39 may be adjusted vertically without interrupting the drivingconnections.

Both of the arms 41 are adapted to be rocked about their pivots 42 and43 simultaneously to shift the pressure roller 38 toward and from thegage roller 16. For this purpose, we provide a rock-shaft 54j our naledat its ends in bearing blocks 55 held to the forward edges of the framemembers 3 and 4. A pair of eccentrics 56 are fixed on the rock-shaft andengage in eccentric straps 57 held to the lower ends of a pair of rods58. The upper ends of rods 58 pass through elongated apertures 59 in theforward ends of the pivoted arms 41. The lower sides of the levers 41bear upon stop nuts 60 threaded on the rods 58 and are held thereagainstby stiff coil springs 61 interposed between the upper sides of the arms41 and stop nuts 62 threaded on the upper ends of rods 58. Suitablewashers may be mounted on rods 58 at each side of the forward ends ofarms 41, if desired, and any other suitable rocking or pivotedconnection may be provided between rods 58 and arms 41. The shaft 54 isadapted to be rocked by a hand-lever 63 ixed thereto, and said lever 63may be locked in its adjusted position by a thumb-screw 64 extendingthrough the lever and an arcuate slot in a curved arm 65 which is heldto the bed 1 at its lower end in any suitable manner. The worm gearingfor adjusting bar 21 is self-locking and will hold the bar 21 in itsadjusted position.

The gage roller 16 is supported intermediate its ends by a pair ofsaddles 66 in each of which is j ournaled a pair of spaced anti-frictionsupporting rollers 67 engaging the under side of roller 16. The saddles66 are supported on the adjusting bar 21, to move therewith, by means ofdepending threaded stems or posts 68 extending through apertures in thebar 21. The saddles are locked in their adjusted position by lock nuts69 and 70 threaded on the posts 68 respectively above and below thebarQvl. Thesaddles and rollers 66 and 67 prevent-sagging ofthevgage'roller'lf and are adjustable therewith. e f `What we'claim isf Yy 1. In a leather-splitting machine of the belt-knife type7 thecombination 4with the gagev roll of a vertically 'adjustable bar, meanscarried by said barv adjacent its ends for rotatably `supporting thegage roll below the path'v of the cutting edge of the beltknife, andvanti-friction thrust-resisting means supported `on said bar and engagingunder the gage roll intermediate the ends of the roll. i j

2; In a leather splitting machine of the beltknife type, the combinationwith the v belt-knife, of a gage roll, a vertically adjustable` bar,means. carried by said bar for rotatably supporting the gage roll at itsends below thepath of the cutting edge `of the knife, and means forsimultaneously or independently shifting .the ends of said barvertically.

3. In aleather splitting machine of the belt-knife type, the combinationwith the belt-knife, of a gage roll, a vertically adjustable bar, meanscarried by said bar for rotatably supporting the gage roll at its ends lbelow the path of the cutting edge of the knife, anti-frictionthrust-resisting means carried by said barV and engaging beneath thegage roll intermediate its ends, a pressure roll rotatably supportedabove the path of the cutting-edge of the knife, and means for adjustingsaid pressure roll toward and from the gage roll. v

4t. In a leather splitting machine, the combination of a belt-knife,means for driving said knife, a pair of opposedcoperating rollersdisposed at opposite sides of the path j of theknife, means for rotatingsaid rollers in opposite directions from the same source of power tofeed a sheet of leather to the knife, pivoted supporting 'means for theends of one of said rollers, means for simultaneously rocking saidpivoted supporting means to adjust the roller supported therebyrelatively to the other roller, reciprocable supporting bearings for theother of said rollers, and means for simultaneously.

reciprocating saidl supporting `bearings to adjust the roller supportedthereby relatively to the path of the knife.

. 5. In a leather splitting machine, the combination of a belt-knife,means for driving said knife, a pressure roller rotatably sup-v portedabove the path of theknife, a cooperating vroller below the path of theknife,

a vvertically adjustable bar, bearingscarried by said bar for rotatablysupporting the ends of the lower roller, saddles carried by said bar,and rollers mounted in said saddles and adapted toengage and supportsaidl lower roller intermediate its ends.

6. In a leather splitting machine of the belt`knife type, thecombination with the knife vand pressure means, of a gage roller, areciprocable bar, bearings carried by said bar for rotatably supportingsaid4 gage roller, meansffor guiding said bar, threaded rods-held to thebar, a shaft journaled parallelk with said bar, worms mounted on"` saidshaft, worm-wheels threaded on said rods and meshing with the worms onsaid shaft., means vfor holding said worm-wheels against movementlongitudinallyof. said rods,l and meansv for rotating said shaft ineither direction to reciprocate said bar.` f.

7. In a leather splitting machine, the com-` bination of a splittingknife, a pair of opposed feedV rolls, means for rotatably supv portingthe lower roll at each end thereof below the plane of the cutting edgeof the knife, means for simultaneously adjusting both ends of saidsupporting means vertically, a feed table mounted on said rollsupporting means andadjustable therewith, and

. means for independently adjusting the upj a leather splitting machine,the come bination of a knife, a gage roll, a vertically adjustable bar,means carried by said bar .adjacent the opposite ends thereof for r0.tatably supportingthe gage roll at its ends, means for simultaneouslyadjusting both ends of said bar vertically, brackets rigidly held tosaid bar, and a feed table held to said brackets and adjustable inunison with the gage roll.

10. In a leather splitting `machine of the lllO belt-knife ,type,thecombination with the belt-knife of' a gage roll, a vertically adjustablesupport for the gage roll, a feed table held to said adjustable gageroll support, and means for simultaneously or independently shifting theends of said support vertically.

l1. In a leather splitting machine, the combination of ,asplittingknife, a gage roll, a reciprocable support for the gage roll,threaded rods rigidly held to said support, a shaft, worms mounted onsaid shaft, worm wheels threaded on said rods and meshing with the wormson said shaft, means for holding the worm wheels against movementlongitudinally of said rods, and means for rotating said shaft in eitherdirection.

12. In a leather splitting machine, the bination of a'splitting knife, agage roll, a 3130 ico f a shaft,"worms mounted on said shaft, WormWheels threaded on said rods and meshing With the Worms on said shaft,means for holding the Worm Wheels against movement longitudinally ofsaid rods,.means for rotatingsaid shaft in either direction, and meanswhereby either of said threaded rods may be adjusted independentlythrough its oooperating Worm and Worm Wheel and said shaft. Y

` 13. In a leather-splitting machine, the combination of a splittingknife, pressure means7 a gage roll ooperatng with the pressure means, anadjustable support for the gage roll, thrust-resisting means carried bysaid support and engaging the gage roll intermediate its ends, andbearings carried by said support for rotatably supporting the ends ofthe gage roll.

14. In a leather-splitting machine, the combination of a splittingknife, pressure means, a gage roll Cooperating with the pressure means,an adjustable support, bearings oarried'by said support for rotatablysupporting the gage roll at its ends, anti-friction thrust-receivingmeans engaging said roll, and means carried by said support foradjusting the thrust-receiving means relatively to the gage roll.

In testimony whereof we hereunto aiiix our signatures this 10th day ofNovember,

MELCHIOR J. C. TALTER. JOSEF MAIER.

Gopies of this patentmay be obtained vfor ve cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

- Washington, D. GL

